Abstract

The General Education Foundation (GEF) Programme consists of two foundation courses, namely In Dialogue with Humanity (UGFH) and In Dialogue with Nature (UGFN). These courses require all undergraduates to read classics in humanity and science before interactive tutorials. Although students are interested in reflecting on the classics, the discussion is sometimes slowed due to the inadequacy of prerequisite knowledge and concepts. Much time in tutorial classes is thus used to explain the knowledge and clarify the concepts. Consequently, our team has initiated a pilot work to develop whiteboard animations to flip the classrooms in UGFN in 2016 and subsequently expanded to UGFH in 2017. Whiteboard animations enable step-by-step illustrations with voiceover narrations to explain complicated and abstract ideas in an engaging and enjoyable way. In 2018, we have made four new whiteboard animations, including two on Newton’s mathematical worldview, one on Plato’s theory of forms, and one on Jesus and Paul in history, to flip the GEF classrooms. Currently, the GEF-animated project has produced 24 whiteboard animations (twelve storyboards, two languages each) tailor-made for the GEF Programme. This poster presentation gives an overview of the production and the use of whiteboard animations for teaching and learning in the two GEF courses.